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K-Rome
Background K-Rome (born Kevin James Romero Junior; 1980) is an american professional wrestler, rapper, former police officer, and former underground MMA figher. He was born and grew up in Compton, California, where he was raised as an only child. He has trained all over the world, in fighting, wrestling, and music. He learned to use words as weapons after living in Detroit and being around the famous 8 Mile. He soon attended Gracie Gym in Brazil, a very famous MMA fighting school and trained in Gracie Jiujitsu. When he finished there, he followed in his father's footsteps, becoming a police officer, but did not stay with the force very long. Finally, he set out on the path to become a pro-wrestler, and went to Japan to train under Ultimo Dragon at Dragon Gate. He wrestled with Extreme Wrestling Impact for a few weeks before the comapny folded. He was set to release his debut album through their publisher, but has gone with the indy "Shokka" records and the album was released in November 2009 to critical acclaim.. Growing Up *''Kevin had a rough childhood from the time he was 12 and on. At 12 years old he first began to take an interest in rap music, and was a fan of Dr. Dre, since Dre was a sort of "hometown hero." His dad was a cop, and couldn't stand the anti-police messages that his son was listening to. However, the barrier between the two faded when his father took him to a WWF RAW event in 1993, and the two found a common interest in pro wrestling. The two attended every local show and event they could, to the point where they were arena regulars. One night Kevin's father was working security at the arena as a favour and was actually allowed to go backstage after a match, where he got to meet Shawn Michaels, The 1-2-3 Kid, and Bret Hart, and he even recieved autographs. In 1994, he began studying up on the wrestling business, and even joined his school's wrestling team. However, 2 years later, tragedy struck Kevin's family, and he lost his father as the result of a shooting when police had tried to break up a fight between some street gangs. About a week later, Kevin attempted to kill himself by slitting his wrists, but was found by his mother and recovered in the hospital. It was then that Kevin showed a true interest in rap, and began using it as a release for his anger. He began writing lyrics non stop, as well as making his own beats. He dropped out of school in the twelfth grade, despite having enough credits to graduate so that he could fully dedicate himself to his music, and a month later released a mixtape in the underground community. However, the feedback wasn't what he'd hoped for. Only two tracks from the mixtape were given any acclaim, and he fell into a creative slump. He began attending bars regularily, and being frequently kicked out for starting bar fights. He packed up his bags and moved to Detroit, the city that had produced one of his favourite new artists, Eminem.'' 8 Mile *''Kevin's passion for hip-hop led him to Detroit, the hometown of new rapper Eminem. Kevin had hopes that he could improve his mic skill here through rap battles. It was here he that he began rapping under the name K-Rome. Well he did succeed in improving his lyrical talent, his lyrics began to rub some of his opponents the wrong way. After winning a rap battle against a local, the losing kid attacked him, and a massive brawl ensued. The brawl was broken up by police, and Kevin spent a week in a local jail. When he was released he was ashamed with himself and felt like he'd discrased his father. He moved away from Detroit and went back home to Compton to ponder his future.'' Gracie Gym and MMA *''Within a week of returning to Compton, he was back on the bar scene. On one of these nights, Kevin saw something on the bar's television he'd never seen or heard of before. He was watching a UFC bout. He studied up on UFC, and MMA, and purchased video copies of the first UFC tournaments. He quickly learned about Royce Gracie, who's family had a training school in Brazil. He collected his life savings (His unused college fund) and moved on to Brazil, enrolling himself at the Gracie Gym.'' *''Kevin learned quickly, and reached the top of his class within a half a year. However, the class also taught him self control. In a span of two years he had earned a red belt in Gracie Jujitsu, but was unable to pay for the course anymore. Since Kevin was one of the school's top students, his teacher generously allowed him to continue at the school for another month. Not far from a brown belt, Kevin recieved a phone call that turned his world upside down and he immediately packed up and returned to Compton.'' Family Emergency *''Kevin returned to Comtpon after two years in Brazil, after receving word from a family friend that his mother had suffered a stroke and was in the hospital. It was difficult for Kevin to see his mother in a hospital bed, after losing his father. However, he provided her assitance along with the hospital staff, and learned she would make a full recovery. During this time Kevin wrote a track called "All I've Got" and released it underground. This is the last song he would release under his real name. The song was a huge hit, prompting him with a record offer from Aftermath Entertainemt, and another through "The Source". He turned down the offers, telling them that he had "family business" to attend to. It was at this time, Kevin decided to follow in his father's footsteps, and he joined the L.A.P.D..'' Officer K-Rome *''Kevin joined up with the L.A.P.D. for about 9 months in the year 2000. Because of his family history in the L.A.P.D. he was exempt, for the most part, from Police academy. He learned the trade in a matter of two weeks and became an official force member in less than a month. He saw little action, though he was involved in several arrests, and helped with many a police chase. In his last month on the force, one of his best friends within the police force, Tim Chase, was shot in a very similar situation to the one that had ended his father's life. Tim, however, survived the shooting but was forced to retire from the force upon his recovery because the shooting had limited mobility in his left arm. Kevin quit the police force around the same time, hitting the realization he didn't want to go out the same way his father had. He lived with his mother for awhile, and came across something that re-ignited his childhood passion for wrestling. His autographs from one of the shows he and his father had attended. He began watching wrestling again, and studied up on it some more. For a long time he thought about breaking into the sport. He was in good physical condition, and he already knew Martial Arts and Police techniques... he was relatively good at Acrobatics. He discovered the cruiserweight style, and found his new favourite wrestler in Último Dragón. For two years he worked and saved money to enroll himself in a pro wrestling school, and in early 2003, he finally found himself a lead. He said goodbye to his mother, and headed out to Japan, to join Dragon Gate, which was being run by Último Dragón, among others.'' Dragon Gate, Wrestling, and training with Último Dragón *''Kevin enrolled at Dragon Gate, and began learning under Último Dragón in early 2003. Like in the Gracie Gym, it only took a few months for Kevin to rise to the top of his class. He began working dark matches for the Dragon Gate promotion in 2004 under his real name, Kevin Romero, and invented his signature move, which he calls the "Compton Special No. 1" off the top of his head during a match. He learned the "Compton Special No. 2" (The 630 Splash) from Jack Evans, who was also doing dark matches at the time. The two underwent a brief Tag team stint. Kevin graduated from the school and moved back to Los Angeles, working for local promotions and charity shows for the next year.'' Underground Community *''It was only a matter of time before Kevin's second passion took control of his life again. After spending a year doing wrestling shows, he found himself inspired seemingly out of nowhere, as he began to write again and relesed and self titled Mixtape that was well accepted by the underground community. This was the first time Hip Hop witnessed the lyrical prowess of "K-Rome", but for those that had been around longer, not their first time hearing him on a tape. Two of the songs on the mixtape were featured on his original mixtape back in 1996. Both of the tracks, the first titled "Razorblades", and the second, titled "Limit Break", are set to appear on his upcoming album as well. Kevin was again offered a record oppurtunity, but he didn't feel he was ready yet, and again turned it down. For a period of about 3 months he returned to Japan and joined an underground MMA circuit, as a way to earn some bigger money. One of his fights was against Brock Lesnar. This was possbily his best fight, and it went to a 3rd round loss for him, but apparantly he and Lesnar became good friends after the fight. Kevin asked Brock about the WWE, but Brock had nothing but content for the company, and told Kevin to stay away from it if he could. After going back home, he spent a few more years wrestling for local promotions and charity shows in California.'' Extreme Wrestling Impact: 2007-08 *''In late 2007, Meltdown began it's nationwide broadcast. Within 2 weeks it was being aired worldwide. Kevin witnessed the first show and became hooked instantly. There was finally a wrestling promotion in California that was no-nonsense. After watching the promotion closely for two months, he read online about a contract suspension in the company. He phoned up the one of the company GM's, Richard D. Knockman, and asked if he could come in for a job interview. He got the job, and also convinced Knockman to produce his album, through the same guys that had produced "EWI! Extreme Impact" (Though it was never released before the company folded.) K-Rome wrestled 4 matches for EWI before it's end, losing 3 out of 4. However in his third match he defeated Lucifear to claim the FTW title, earning his first singles gold. He was neer defeated for the belt, but it was vacated after a backstage incident involving Montel Jones in which K-Rome assaulted Jones. Well it was question whether or not the assault was provoked, the incident lead to a suspension. The company ended before his suspension was lifted, and Rome never recieved a paycheck for his last match. On a side note, Rome delivered a public apology to Montel in an interview recorded for a music channel that was interviewing him about his upcoming album.'' Return to Dragon Gate, and Musical Setback *''Following EWI's fold, K-Rome was actually offered a contract for 2WWF but turned it down to return to Dragon Gate. He felt he needed to improve his skills. He also wrestled two matches for indy promotions in the United States, and one indy match in the UK. After returning to Dragon Gate, he dropped the name "K-Rome" and began wrestling as Kevin Romero Jr. In his return match he debuted his new finisher, "The Compton Effect" in which he hits a Backflip Urnage Slam which is followed up by applying an anaconda vice. He's had relatively good success since his return to Japan but has remained on the mid-card. It was rumored that he'd be headed to the Extreme Combat Championship Organization (ECCO) but he declined their offer, and actually went back into training, not only in wrestling, but also in jujitsu. The 29 year old rapper / wrestler postponed the release of his album in order to re-record several of the tracks in a better studio, and has added a new song to the mix; "High Roller" featuring Jarad Johnson.'' Moveset (Gathered from his Dragon Gate stints.) *''DDT'' *''Gutwrench Suplex'' *''Spinning Wheel Kick'' *''Swinging Neckbreaker'' *''Single Leg Crab'' *''Pele Kick'' *''Chickenwing Stretch'' *''Jump Spinning Back Kick'' *''Rope Flip'' *''Handspring'' *''Hip Throw (sometimes executed with an Armbar)'' *''Back Body Drop'' *''Russian Leg Sweep (sometimes executed with an Armbar)'' *''Snapmare'' *''Reverse DDT'' *''German Suplex w/ Rollup pin'' *''Forearm to Back'' *''Lungblower'' *''Kip Up'' *''Chickenwing Stretch'' *''Sleeper Hold'' *''Kimura'' *''Armbar'' *''Front Facelock'' *''Cross Armbreaker'' *''Butterfly Lock'' *''Dragon Sleeper'' *''Figure-4 Leg Lock'' *''Figure-4 Neck Lock'' *''Crossface '' *''Handspring Bulldog'' *''Frankensteiner'' *''Flying Forearm (HBK-Esque)'' Signature Moves *''Straight Outta' Compton (714)'' *''Stiff Dropkick (To a running opponent)'' *''Reverse Impaler DDT'' *''Curb Stomp (Stomp to the back of head, not to be confused with Super Dragon's Curb Stomp.)'' *''One Man Con-Chair-To'' *''Twist Of Fate'' *''1-2-3 (3 Punch combo, also called the "Brother *Combination)'' *''Hurricanrana'' *''Killswitch (Spinning-Out Powerbomb | Blue Thunder Driver)'' *''Cradle Piledriver'' *''Quantum Leap (Springboard 630 Plancha)'' *''Chopping Block (Inverted Split-Leg Drop Bulldog (Slice Drop))'' *''Drive-By (Northern Lariat)'' *''Burning Chrome (540 Kick | Hya Kick) '' *''Reverse Hurricanrana'' *''Criss-Cross (Position for a Curb Stomp, grab arms in a straitjacket choke and place one foot on the back of the opponent's head.)'' *''Moonsault Kick'' *''Fo' Sho' (Step Up Enzuigiri to an opponent in the corner)'' *''Cruise Control (Springboard Arm Wrench Backflip DDT)'' *''What goes up... (Jumping Complete Shot from the top Rope)'' *''Float Over DDT'' Finishing Moves *'Compton Special No. 1 / Broken Butterfly' Stalling Double Underhook Sit-Out Facecrusher *'Compton Special No. 2 / The Exploder' 630 Elbow Drop or 630 Splash *'Compton Secret Special / Power Of The Punch' Shot from Brass Knuckles *'The Compton Effect' A Back flip Urnage Slam proceeded by an Anaconda Vice. Tribute & Last Resort Moves *'Asai Moonsault:' (Tribute) K-Rome uses this move as a tribute to one of his mentors, Último Dragón. *'Gracie Armbreaker:' (Tribute & Last Resort) This is a move that Royce Gracie once used to win a UFC Torunament in the sport's early days. Through a-lot of studying, K-Rome has learned to do the move himself. It's an Armbar executed with the opponent standing. He uses it as a tribute to the Gracie family. *'The F-5:' (Tribute & Last Resort) K-Rome uses the F-5 as a tribute to his friend Brock Lesnar. *'Romero Special:' (Tribute & Last Resort) On a rare occasion, K-Rome will perform the "Cop Killa", which he's renamed as a tribute to his dad. *'The Flip Side:' (Last Resort) Alternatively known as a "Swan Dive DragonRana", or a "Springboard DragonRana", K-Rome uses this as a last resort finishing move. *'Blood on my Shoes:' (Last Resort) A Corkscrew Moonsault landing in a Double Foot Stomp. *'8 Mile Violent Streak:' (Last Resort) Top Rope Flip Piledriver. Nicknames *"The Compton Kid" (EWI) Theme Music: *"Crack A Bottle" by Eminem (EWI (Different EWI)) *"Take Notice (Instrumental)" by K-Rome (Dragon Gate) (Discontinued) *"Take Notice" by K-Rome (EWI) *"The Way I Am" by Eminem (Dragon Gate) (Discontinued) Music *''K-Rome's debut album, "Comptopn's Back" was released in November 2009 to critical acclaim, recieving generally positive reviews about the tracks. Some critics did take shots at his large number of guest appearances on a debut album, stating that it "takes away from his spotlight, not something you want to do on a first album". The album features the likes of Tribal Ink, who provide the Instrumental on a remake of Tupac Shakur's California Love (Admitedlly one of his all time favourite songs), Dr. Dre, one of K-Rome's idols, reprises his parts from the original song; Mike Shinoda, who's catchy "It's Going Down" is being remixed with another Rapper, Xzibit under the title "Cali's Best", Jarad Johnson, who makes an appearance on the song "High Rollin'" and another track featuring an appearance by Tha Trademarc. 3 of the tracks on "Compton's Back"; "Razorblades", "Limit Break", and "All I've Got" have already been released on past mixtapes.'' *''In addition to the recent promotion of his new album, it is rumoured that K-Rome has a new single on the way which features a borrowed (with permission) excerpt from Metallica's "One".''